page_title: Whittington Tump
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Whittington Tump / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: Parapet of M5 railway bridge and signs for Junction 7
context_page_description: Whittington Tump or Crookbarrow Hill is a partly artificial mound in Worcestershire. There is evidence of pre-historic activity at the site and some sources say it was fortified by the Romans. The site came to prominence during the Anglo-Saxon era when a settlement was established. In the mediaeval period, a manor house was established next to the hill and a motte castle constructed atop it. The castle has since disappeared and the area returned to agricultural use. The site was listed as a scheduled monument in 1923.
context_section_description: Whittington Tump is located some 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south east of the city of Worcester and commands its southern approaches.  The hill rises 20 metres (66 ft) above the valley floor and is approximately oval in plan, measuring 75 metres (246 ft) by 40 metres (130 ft).  It has been described as an "enigmatic feature" with little known of its origin but it is believed to be an artificial enhancement of a natural hill.  In particular it is believed that the side slopes, likely to have already been quite steep, have been steepened by the work of man – especially upon the northern side.  This interpretation has been in place since at least the mid-19th century.  The hill is overlain with reddish brown clayey soil of the local Worcester Series.
  John Price writing in 1799 thought that the name of the hill came from Old British but both Crookbarrow and Whittington are derived from Old English.  Whittington is a development of "Hwinton" – meaning a farm or enclosure belonging to a man by the name of White.
  The modern M5 motorway passes within 150 metres (490 ft) of the site to the south east.  The tump, recognisable by a distinctive solitary tree on its top, is clearly visible from the motorway on the approaches to junction 7 (Worcester South) and is used by some motorists as a land mark.
caption: Whittington Tump from the M5 northbound
exif: {}